MCF Women's Network

As part of our work to support all sections of our community, find out more about our newly-launched network for women working in the UK Muslim-led charity sector.

A Women’s Network for Women Shaping the Future 

The development of a Women’s Network for the Muslim Charity Sector first took place at the launch of MCF’s special edition journal The Forum ‘The Blessing of the Sisters’ at the House of Lords in early 2024. This initiative follows MCF’s finding that “42% of Muslim-led charities are female led”, captured in our report, The Bridges of Hope. 

From September 2024 we began consultations with women in the sector about their needs and experiences working in the Muslim charity sector to understand how a network can help meet these needs. We held consultations with 19 women including senior managers, founders, trustees, volunteers and administrative staff. 48 women responded to our public survey, and we have learnt a great deal from the 67 women engaged for this research. 

We have a wealth of experienced women working in Muslim charities and there is an opportunity to develop the capacity of our charities by investing in employee training and development. A full report is being prepared and will be shared with the sector soon, some key insights from our findings have been shared below:

What’s next?

As we prepare our full report, we are busy working to develop schemes of work which address the key issues raised from our research.

Find out how you can get involved below!

Sign up for Mentoring!

Learn from experienced leaders, men and women who want to share their learning to develop a generation of female leaders for the Muslim charity sector. 

Vision: To empower and elevate senior Muslim professional women by providing tailored support through mentorship that fosters career advancement, confidence, and leadership. 

Objectives: 

  • Facilitate access to relatable and senior mentors (both female and male). 
  • Create a safe, supportive, and values-aligned professional development space. 
  • Enable networking, peer support, and advocacy. 
  • Increase visibility and influence of Muslim women in leadership. 

Learn more about the aims and objectives of our mentorship scheme below.

Mentorship Program (web version)June2025Download
Complete the form here to sign up for mentoring

We are always delighted to hear from people who are interested in supporting others. If you have skills and experience to offer as a Mentor, please click the button below.

Sign up here to be a Mentor!

Events:

The MCF Women’s Network launched at the Muslim Charities Convention on the 3rd July 2025!

The breakout session ‘Women Leading Change’ was led by Saffa Mir (MCF Independent Trustee), Dr Sofia Buncy (Founder of Muslim Women In Prison Resettlement Project and MCF Trustee), Maaria Mahmood (formerly Director, Muslim Youth Helpline) and Linsay Taylor (CEO, MEND), hosted by MCF Board Chair, Moazzam Malik.

Check out the session below!

With a specialist Q&A session ‘ Women Shaping The Future’ we were delighted to also hear from Aliyah Um Raiyaan (Author and CEO, Solace UK), Lamees Hafeez (Director of Strategy and Communications, Muslim Aid) and Sabah Gilani, OBE (CEO, Better Business Network).

Join the Network!

Be the first to know what is happening, hear about events, mentoring opportunities, training and development opportunities.

Sign up here

Share your voice

Your network – your views.

Share your thoughts to inform, influence and shape what the women’s network does and how to communicate the needs of women to the sector.

Submit your opinion or feedback